Tea Party pot has gone cold with Americans
Doug Thompson summarizes some polls regarding Tea party popularity, and his analogy reminds me of the time I came home to find that a friend had forgotten that he put water on for tea before he left. There were strange smells of vaporized metal and a small puddle of molten slag with a handle and spout sticking out on the top of the ceramic cooktop. After it cooled it made a nice object d’art sculpture,* and I wish I still had it because it’s fitting commentary for these days.
The polls offer little hope for the spate of Republican candidates who see the tea party as crucial to their election chances, including twice-failed Presidential candidate Ron Paul, the Texas Congressman who is often incorrectly cited as the “father of the tea party movement.”
The polls suggest that anyone who is identified as close to the tea party movement cannot be elected on a national scale.
An AP-Gfk survey taken May 5-6 shows tea party support nationwide at 30 percent while 63 percent describe themselves as non-supporters.
An NBC News Poll by Democratic pollster Peter Hart and Republican Bill McInturff add more doom and gloom for the tea baggers: Only 26 percent consider themselves supporters while 62 percent said “no” when asked if they supported the movement. The poll was conducted May 5-7.
Other polls confirm the bad news for the tea baggers. A USA Today/Gallup Poll taken April 20-23 had 30 percent support for the party. A CBS News/New York Times survey from April 15-20 puts national support for the tea party at 24 percent while 66 percent said they didn’t support.
* as opposed to Objet d’art, since this was accidental rather than created with purpose and intent.